Smørrebrød, Copenhagen

Copenhagen
Denmark

Concierge.com's insider take:

Smørrebrød translates as "open-face sandwich," but once you have piled shrimp on top of crayfish and crowned it with caviar, it hardly deserves such a homely name. Typical Danish attention to detail and aesthetics have made this farmhouse fare the country's signature dishand it's still the only lunch many natives will eat. Slotskælderen Hos Gitte Kik is a timeless model of a smørrebrød restaurant. Just across the canal from Christiansborg Palace, it resembles a country cottage with buttery-yellow stucco walls hung with photos of turn-of-the-century local wrestlers. All of the daily sandwiches line a long wooden buffet table so you can choose: Local favorites include a creamy liver pâté topped with crisp bacon, and classic smoked eel and buttery scrambled eggs (Fortunstraede 11 4; 45-33-11-15-37; lunch only; closed Sundays, Mondays, and all of July). More touristy but just as delectable is Ida Davidsen. Each day, Ida herself pops up behind her display of sandwiches with a signature toque riding high on her perennially blond waves. Her best concoctions include the Alexandra, a pile of raw salmon, salmon roe, six crayfish tails, andbecause a sandwich can never be too rich or too fatthe final flourish of a dill sprig, and OK, some more roe. For the brave there's Cook's Midnight Snack, a melee of salami, mayo, grated radish, chives, smoked cheese, and black-currant jam (Store Kongensgade 70; 45-33-91-36-55; www.idadavidsen.dk). Not enough? If the sun is shining, head to Nyhavns Faergekro for smørrebrød alfresco at tables along the Nyhavn inlet, or duck inside for the most extreme of Nordic feasts: a smorgasbord of ten different herring preparations (Nyhavn 5; 45-33-15-15-88; www.nyhavnsfaergekro.dk).